Tribute to veterans in Lorain bridges understanding gap

Don Attie, of Lorain, left, and Tom Temerario, of Lorain, both served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. On Nov. 4 they attended “Because We Were Soldiers,” a special tribute to veterans presented by Valor Home at Lorain Palace Theater, 617 Broadway Ave., Lorain.
Carol Harper — The Morning Journal

Veterans and community members gathered at Palace Theater in Lorain for an evening of ballet and tributes to challenge inadequate responses to needs.

“Tonight is about a call to action,” said Michael Ferrer, organizer of “Because We Were Soldiers,” a special tribute to veterans presented by Valor Home. “It’s a call for our community to do more about the needs that veterans have when they come back from the battlefield. Too many of our veterans feel discarded and feel neglected and they have so much that they bring back from the battlefield that they have to adapt to, and our community is not responding as a community.

“What we’re seeing a lot of in our community is veterans taking care of other veterans to the best of their ability. And even in many cases they don’t have the training to provide the services that are actually needed, counseling for the depression, or suicidal tendencies that comes from a change from their environment.

“Or just coming back home and knowing when you came back home the war came back with you. And now you have a hometown battlefield. And now you have something you don’t know how to attest to. And it takes a whole community to serve them, and we’re not doing that.

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“There was a time in World War II when we did it,” Ferrer said, “when we were waiting for our veterans to come home. And then Vietnam came and it changed the whole dynamic. And it was an unpopular war. And from that time forward we weren’t serving our veterans. They came back with such baggage and have to adopt to spouses lovingly waiting for them to come home, but when they come home it’s not the person they expected. So we have to teach our spouses that they’re not alone. We have to teach our veterans that there is help out there. That’s what this is about tonight. We’re honoring our veterans with a tribute coin that says, ‘We were soldiers,’ because that is the common denominator. The blanket of freedom we live under today, was purchased by them. The trauma that they’re experiencing today is also the common denominator, ‘Because we were soldiers.’ ”

The program for the evening was a resource guide of all of the services available to veterans and families, Ferrer said.

A special ballet, “Bloodstripe,” choreographed by Denise Gula, was presented for the spouses, he said.

Don Attie, of Lorain, served in Vietnam from 1970-1971 in the U.S. Army. He’s now senior vice commander of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 20, and president of Lorain County Veterans Service Commission.

“It’s important we get our veterans together along with the community to understand what we go through for the transition from war, the service, then back to the community,” Attie said. “If there’s a better transition, it can help our veterans deal with the scars and the wounds that aren’t visible.

Tom Temerario, of Lorain, served in Vietnam in 1971 in special communications with the Army.

“I work with the Veterans Administration as a driver,” Temerario said. “I’m looking forward to the idea that it is important that the sacrifice the vets make while on active duty is never forgotten, and if they need help, seek it. It is there.”

The community usually doesn’t understand the enormity of veterans’ needs.

“It’s about putting actions behind the words, ‘Thank you for your service,’ ” Ferrer said. “Thank for your service with action, every time you see a veteran in need, you put an action with that, and you call a congressman.”

In the last two generations, even war changed.

“They’re coming home and seeing atrocities,” Ferrer said. “Children are being used in war now to kill our soldiers. Having to defend that, even for our country, takes a toll. When they come home we need to help them dispense with that baggage. We need to help them transition back into our community, or we’re failing our veterans. That’s why 22 veterans are committing suicide each and every day. It started with the Vietnam war where we’re seeing those numbers, because there was no appreciation.”

The Lorain County Board of Mental Health bought the special medallions for the veterans, he said. Other sponsors included the Veard family, the Nordson Corporation, Pegasus Transit LLC, Lorain County Community College, Lorain County Veterans Treatment Court, and VFW Post 1079, and VFW Post 8686.